Building construction



May 12, 1936. H. T. B A CKHUS I BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Original Fild Jan. 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I 68 499mg I, 5'

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4 V I I BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Patented Mi, 12, 1193s I PATENT OFFICE Application January 2, 1934, Serial No. 704,978

, Renewed January 16, 1938 UNITED STATES building construction of the knock-down type in vision of a building construction of the knockwhich one or more rooms are formed as complete units and inserted onto a foundation previously constructed and secured thereto, the complete units acting as a stabilizer or bracing means for the application of additional walls and ceilings to provide other rooms.

Another object of the invention is the prodown type in which a plurality of rooms which have been completed at the factory are inserted laterally onto the foundation and connected together preferably intermediate the ends of the foundation, the units when connected together and connected to the foundation forming an initial step in the building of a structure so that the units will act as a bracing or stabilizing means for the application of walls, ceilings, and floors to provide additional room space with the walls and ceilings being removably connected to the units and to each other. A further-object of the invention is the provision of a method of erecting a building structure of the knock-down type in which a foundation is provided with the usual joists while one or more rooms of the building are completed at a factory and shipped to the foundation and removably connected thereto, factory-built floor sections being applied to the remaining portion of the foundation with walls and ceilings being remov ably connected to the units and to each other to provide additional room space, the units such as the bathroom or hallway being completely equipped with interior furnishings so thatit will only be necessary to connect water-pipes, gas pipes, and projecting wires of the electrical system in order to make the units ready for occupation. A still further object of the invention is the provision of a building construction of the knockdown type in which sections of the building of transportable size are completed, at the factory and shipped to the place of destination with the various sections having separable fasteners so that by operation of a link or arm at a'convenient point the sections will be drawn up in rigid clamped relation.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawings form-' ing a part of the specification; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such trucks or in freight cars.

changes and modifications as define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

' Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing my 5 building construction in the. course of erection,

I Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the building showing in elevation a side view of the units disclosed in Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken along the lineHofFlgure'i, I

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a cam and operating lever shown disassembled.

In carrying out the method of erecting a building in accordance with the present invention a foundation of the proper dimension is built into the ground and the usual joists are placed thereonfor supporting the building structure. All portions of the structure above the foundation including the. floors are built as units at a factory and these units are of such a size that they may be readily transported to the foundation either by If every portion of the structure'were formed in individual units and carried to the foundation as sections, a great deal of difiiculty would be had in erecting the outside walls in position paiticularly where there was a strong wind. Braces of various kinds would have to be made to support the walls when being assembled which would be an additional expensesince extra material and men would be required for the purpose. In the present instance much of the labor, expense, and inconvenience is eliminated by constructing at the factory several small rooms as complete units, that is, they will contain the floors, walls, ceilings, and all of the fixtures or appurtenances required to complete the interior. In other words, a bathroom and stairway may be selected as the stabilizing or bracing unit since these room units are ordinarily small as compared to-the other rooms necessary to complete the building and these small units may be easily transported.- where a bathroom forms one of the units this room is completed with the basin, tub, pipes, shower, and

y when desired, the walls may be partially or completely provided with tile. All water pipes and drain pipes are added to this structure and proiect sufficiently below the floor so that the usual pipe connections may be made. The wires leading to the light or to the sockets may be enclosed in pipes so that the projecting ends of the wires may be readily connected to the electrical wiring circuits leading from the meter.

Where an additional small room is desired as a bracing unit, such as a hallway, this hallway may be complete with stairs and doorways and provided with means at the outer ends for removably connecting the hallway to the bathroom unit.- These units are then slid into place on the joists of the foundation and connected to the same in' any approved manner.

with the units just described in place additional floor sections may be applied to the foundation and walls may be removably connected to the units now in place and to each other. By apply ing the rigid room units initially to the foundation it will be appreciated that it will be an easy matter to supply as many walls as necessary to complete a specification. Since the units will act as braces for any additional walls supplied tothe foundation and since the additional walls and the units have co-operating connecting means, these walls may be easily and conveniently attachedin a waterproof manner.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I0 designates the walls of a foundation upon which are mounted beams ll. Posts are located between the walls and support T-beams H. The beams H and the T-beams l3 support joists ll of the two imits generally designated by the numerals i5 and I6. Other joists are placed upon the beams for supporting the-remaining portions of the floors upon opposite sides of the units 15 and I6. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the inner ends of the joists M abut the vertical flange of the T-beam l3.

The units 15 and I6 are erected complete at the factory and since these units, which disclose respectively the hallway and the bathroom, are relatively small, they may be readily transported from the factory to the building operation and while they are shown as being located substantially centrally of the foundation theymay be placed in other positions, depending upon the style of the structure desired.

The bathroom unit consists of a floor 26, side walls 21, 22. end walls 23 and 25, and a ceiling 25. The bathroom unit also includes a passageway 26 and a closet 21.

The end wall is provided with awindow 28 .and doors 29 and 80.

It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 1

that the bathroom is equipped with all of the necessary appliances, such as the bath-tub and basin. As shown more particularly at 33 in Fig. 1 a chimney is built in an opening of which the proportions are determined in advance. The chimney includes vent fiues which are set up by means of flue linings and L-shaped cinder blocks. The chimney of course is constructed after the units 15 and I 6 areplaced in position.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the drain pipes 34 and 36 are connected with the various bathroom-accessories and are installed in the wall 22 which has its outer face unfinished. The water pipes 31 are also included in this unit and electric conduits will form a part of the unit so that the various pipes and electrical conduits may be connected with the proper elements afterthe bathroom has been installed or slipped in place.

The hallway l5 includes side walls 46, II, and end walls 42 and 43.

A stairway is built in the hallway and opens into the passageway 44. The hall unit includes an integrally formed floor 45 and this floor extends through the passageway and meets with the floor of the bathroom unit IS. The stairway unit also includes a ceiling and all the necessary elements to complete the stairway leading to the upper floor. .The hallway may also include a closet 46 having a door 41.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, doorways 48 and 49 are included in the side walls 41..

Directly opposite the doorway 44 is a door 50 leading into a room 5|.

The doorway 29 leads into a room 52 with closets 1w disposed between the rooms BI and 52.

A kitchen 53 is located at one side of the wall 22 while a dining room or other room 54 is located in juxtaposition to the kitchen and has one wall formed by the walls ll of the hall unit l5.

The floors of the rooms 51 to 56, inclusive, are made in sections at the factory and shipped to the point where the building is erected and placed upon the. beams II and 13. Side walls 55, 56, 51, and 58 and intermediate walls 59 are also constructed at the factory and shipped to the point where the building is erected and secured to the fixed units l5 and IS in a manner which will be presently explained.

The intermediate wall 59 has a vertical slot 60 which receives a metal plate 61 and this plate is secured to the wall 59. The projecting end 62 of the plate is received by an opening in the wall 22 and bolts 63 passing through the perforations in the projecting end of the plate secure the plate and likewise the intermediate wall 58 to the side wall 22 of the unit.

The outside walls 66 to 68, inclusive, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, are removably connected together by means of a metal plate 65 which is secured in any approved manner to a side wall such as ll of the unit i5. This metal plate is provided with a bayonet slot 66 which receives a bolt .61 having a head 68 located in a pocket 69 in a member of the side wall 41.

The outer end of the outside wall of a. building is provided with a stud 10 having a passage it to receive the bolt 61.

A metal member, U-shaped in cross section, as shown at 12, is secured to the inner face of the stud 16 and the U-shaped member is provided with a passage 13 to receive the bolt 61.

A pair of arms 14 is pivoted on a pin 15 carried by the U-shaped member 12. These arms are located upon opposite sides of the bolt 61 and connected to the bolt by means of a sleeve 16 and a set screw 11. The sleeve is supported upon the inner projecting threaded end of the bolt 61.

A shaft is carried by the U-shaped member 12 and a lever 81 is secured to the shaft. Cams 82 are likewise secured to the shaft and on opposite sides of the lever 8|.

The lower portions of the arm, as shown at 83, are curved to conform to the cam surfaces 84 of the eams 82 so that when the cams are elevated the arms will be moved outwardly and theibolt heads 68 will be drawn up tight upon theplate, 65, rigidly locking the studs 10 and likewise the outside wall to the side wall ll of the unit 15. i

A link 85 is pivotally connected at 86 to the outer end of the arm 8| and this link is connected at its upper end to the lower end of a bolt 81 which is threaded at 89 to receive a nut 90. The bolt 81' is drawn upwardly by screwing the nut 90 inwardly along the rod 81 so that the arms 14 and the bolt 61 inwardly for locking the cams at will be moved upwardly and force the sections together.

It will be noted from the above description that a plurality of bolts 61 are all operated simultaneously by the link 85 and an extension 81 through ,the adjustment of the nut 90 on the threaded portion 89 of the extension 81.

It will be appreciated that the roof may be made in sections and locked together in a similai manner as the sections are applied to the side walls of the building.

Other portions of the building, such as a kitchen cabinet and the stairs leading to the basement, may also be made in sections and applied directly in their proper position and bolted or secured in any approved manner to the adjacent parts.

I claim: g

.1-. In a building construction, a foundation, rooms complete as units with floor, walls and ceiling removably mounted on an intermediate portion of the foundation and acting as a-stabilizer for the application of additional walls to form other rooms, walls and ceiling removably connected to each other "and to the units, a plurality of co-operating means on the walls and ceilings and the units for removably connecting the walls and the ceiling to each other and to the units, and means for simultaneously operating certain of the means for causing said means to be interlocked with the other means.

2. In a building construction, a foundation, 9.

bathroom forming a transportable unit, equipped complete with fixtures and adapted to be removably mounted on a portion of thefoundation, a hallway forming a transportable unit equipped with a stairway and doors and adapted to .be

removably mounted onv the foundation in juxtaposition with the bathroom unit, means forconnecting the adjacent portions of the two units together, outside walls forming other 'rooms, and means for removably connecting the walls to the units and including a means on the walls and units, and means for simultaneously moving certain of the interlocking means into operative or inoperative positions with respect to the other interlocking means.

plurality of interlocking being movable, and means for causing simultaneous movement of certain of the interlocking means on the walls for causing interlocking of the means or releaseof said means with certain of the means on the units.

4. In a building construction, a foundation, a I

completely constructed room unit placed upon the foundation and forming a bracing means for walls completing the structure of the building, floors upon opposite sides of the unit and placed upon the foundation, walls-removably connected to. the unit to provide additional rooms, said walls extending laterally from the units, a plurality of interlocking means on the units and the walls, the interlocking means on the walls being movable, and means for causing simultaneous movement of certain of the interlocking means on the walls for causing interlocking of the means or release of said means with certain of the means on the units.

5. In a building construction, a foundation, a room t placed on the foundation, walls connecte the unit and means removably connecting t e walls to the unit and comprising a plate having bayonet slots secured to the unit, headed bolts carried by the ends of the walls and received by the slots, and means for drawing the heads of the bolts simultaneously tight upon the plate.

6. In a building construction, a foundation, a

room unit placed on the foundation, walls'connected to the unit and means removably connecting the walls to the unit and comprising a plate having bayonet slots secured to the unit, headed bolts carried by the ends of the walls and received by the slots, arms pivotally mounted onthe walls and having connections with the bolts, cams engaging the arms, and means for actuating the cams for drawing simultaneously the heads of the bolts tight against the plate.

HERMAN T. BACKHUS. A 

